Healthy Mondays--Adding easy activity to your day

I’m not a psychologist or any other kind of “ist” professional, but it seems to me that being shy and/or introverted has at least a bit to do with our self-confidence level. And our self-confidence is tied to how we feel about ourselves. And how we feel about ourselves has a lot to do with how we feel about our bodies.

I’m a personal fitness trainer in my “other” job and spend my days helping people get fit and healthy. I love watching my clients gain self-confidence as they increase their fitness level and improve their diets.

We writers spend a lot of time sitting on our behinds, not moving much, and probably not making the best food choices. I’ve decided to make Mondays the day to share a small tip or suggestion with you, baby steps to improving your health and fitness.

This week’s tip: Make 30 inactive minutes active.

I want you to think about your day. I can pretty much guarantee you can find 30 minutes to which you can add some activity. It doesn’t have to be all at once. I’m talking simple movement and activity, nothing formal or strenuous.

Ideas:

• When you’re staring at your computer screen or notebook, trying to come up with the next scene or fix a plot problem, could you think while you’re walking around the block, around the house, up and down the stairs, while bouncing on a big fitness ball? While rolling your shoulders?

• If you have a desk job, get up and go visit that co-worker rather than emailing him/her. 

• Can you use a bathroom on a different floor, or use the stairs rather than the elevator?

• While standing in line at the store/post office/wherever, do calf raises or deep breathing or butt squeezes.

• Instead of plopping down on the couch to watch the news or your favorite sitcom, sit on the floor and stretch or do some crunches or pushups.

• While brushing your teeth, balance on one leg for the top teeth, and switch legs for the bottom teeth.

• While brushing your teeth or doing dishes, do some calf raises.

The possibilities are endless. I like to listen to books on tape. I’ll tell myself I can only “read” while I’m cleaning house or walking outside or on the treadmill. It's amazing how much I'll get done while listening to a thriller!

What times of the day are you inactive? Can you think of a way to make that time more active? Can you think of little ways to add more activity into your day?